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verapamil and melatonin


defiance
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Hello everyone

 

My fathers cluster headaches returned 3 weeks ago and I have desperately been looking for anything that can help.  I got a lot of great information from the people and the articles on this forum.  My father is 59 and had a heart attack about eight years ago so sumatriptin is out of the question unfortunately.  It doesn't look like we can get our medical insurance to cover oxygen therapy but I won't give up on that just yet.  I want to give him melatonin, 10mg pill, with verapamil if we can get the doctor to prescribe it for him.  For those who use melatonin,  how successful has it been for you?  Any side effects from doing this?  And also for verapamil users what has the success rate been for you and what are the major side effects, if any?  Thank you in advance for any information you can give me.

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Morning Defiance,

 

First , thanks for helping your dad. We love supporters!!

 

Verapamil: Depending on the dose he may feel tired. I had no side effects from verap, but that is possibly because I could only take 240mg per day. It lowers blood pressure so if you BP is low you can be limited on the amount that you can take. Many go much higher without a dangerous drop in BP. Being tired is the most significant side effect that I have heard of.

 

Melatonin: It works for me. I take up to 30mg. But, for starters I would suggest 10mg. He can work up from there until he notices relief. It helps me a lot in cycle. Some say 25mg is the top limit. It makes you groggy, but you are taking it at night when you want to be sleepy anyway.

 

D3: The D3 regimen can be found in the Clusterbuster Files Board. It is simple, easy, and without side effects to my knowledge. It works great for many sufferers and just involves a trip to the pharmacy. Please check into it.

 

O2: Getting O2 can be a hassle. Hopefully you can get that worked out with insurance. If not, using welding O2 is an option. O2 is the best abortive available. 

 

He should try an energy drink or coffee at the first sign of a hit. It is possible to avoid a hit by slamming some caffeine at the very beginning of it. That is quick and easy to try. Many use 5 Hour Energy because it is easy to carry in a pocket.

 

Thanks again for advocating on behalf of your father. :) Love your attitude as expressed in your handle!!

 

spiny

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Morning Defiance,

 

First , thanks for helping your dad. We love supporters!!

 

Verapamil: Depending on the dose he may feel tired. I had no side effects from verap, but that is possibly because I could only take 240mg per day. It lowers blood pressure so if you BP is low you can be limited on the amount that you can take. Many go much higher without a dangerous drop in BP. Being tired is the most significant side effect that I have heard of.

 

Melatonin: It works for me. I take up to 30mg. But, for starters I would suggest 10mg. He can work up from there until he notices relief. It helps me a lot in cycle. Some say 25mg is the top limit. It makes you groggy, but you are taking it at night when you want to be sleepy anyway.

 

D3: The D3 regimen can be found in the Clusterbuster Files Board. It is simple, easy, and without side effects to my knowledge. It works great for many sufferers and just involves a trip to the pharmacy. Please check into it.

 

O2: Getting O2 can be a hassle. Hopefully you can get that worked out with insurance. If not, using welding O2 is an option. O2 is the best abortive available. 

 

He should try an energy drink or coffee at the first sign of a hit. It is possible to avoid a hit by slamming some caffeine at the very beginning of it. That is quick and easy to try. Many use 5 Hour Energy because it is easy to carry in a pocket.

 

Thanks again for advocating on behalf of your father. :) Love your attitude as expressed in your handle!!

 

spiny

Thank you for this spiny I appreciate it.  I have a question for the melatonin usage.  How soon should I have him increase his dosage from 10mg to 20mg or more.  Does his body need time to get used to the 10mg dosage and if so how long?  The energy shot is one that I have been hearing great things about and so I will definately get a box of 5 hour energy for him and pray that gives him some relief.  I am grateful that I found this page because the information and the people here are just great.  Thank you again 

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spiny may have a better answer for this, but I'd say you can increase the melatonin dosage pretty much daily, though I don't know if you want to jump straight from 10mg to 20mg.  You're looking for results, yes, but too much melatonin can really wipe him out in the morning.  Just my opinion.

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spiny may have a better answer for this, but I'd say you can increase the melatonin dosage pretty much daily, though I don't know if you want to jump straight from 10mg to 20mg.  You're looking for results, yes, but too much melatonin can really wipe him out in the morning.  Just my opinion.

Hey CHfather

 

You make a good point.  I was thinking of getting the 10mg bottle but the 5mg might be the way to go.  Since that way I can go from 10 to 15 then to 20.  Thanks for the input.

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I'm not a melatonin expert, and I don't want to confuse things.  My daughter, who has CH, actually got some relief from Trader Joe's brand chewable melatonin, which comes in .5mg tablets. Yes, that's 1/2 mg. And she took just one or two tablets.  We had been told by an expert that that brand (the brand is actually Trader Darwin) was the best for absorption.  I have been told that melatonin is not well absorbed or utilized by the body. Some people let the tab dissolve under their tongue, I think  And there are time-released melatonin and non-time-released.  Again, I'm just remembering, and just as probably incorrectly as correctly, but I think the time-release form is considered better for CH.

 

Overall, it's probably best to get him started with something, even if it isn't the perfect thing (if there is a perfect thing), and see what happens.  Starting at 10 probably won't hurt, and you can see what the results are. 

 

Meanwhile -- I know that I and others have already said this -- keep working on that O2, whether prescription or welding. 

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Hey Defiance,

 

Sorry it took a while to get back. :)

 

I up mine by 10mg, but I am used to how I react to it. I second the suggestion to up by 5mg increases to start. If you can find the extended release, give it a try. I think I got some at Walmart. The type does not matter for me, but others do prefer the extended release type.

 

Take about 30 minutes before bedtime and get ready for bed. It should kick in about right. I would also start at 10mg because many take 20mg or more to get relief. The small amount that works for CHR's daughter is not the norm. Many people have tried it starting at 3mg with no help. Looking for relief, I would start with 10mg. 

Especially if he does not have to be at work in the am.

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Hey Defiance,

 

Sorry it took a while to get back. :)

 

I up mine by 10mg, but I am used to how I react to it. I second the suggestion to up by 5mg increases to start. If you can find the extended release, give it a try. I think I got some at Walmart. The type does not matter for me, but others do prefer the extended release type.

 

Take about 30 minutes before bedtime and get ready for bed. It should kick in about right. I would also start at 10mg because many take 20mg or more to get relief. The small amount that works for CHR's daughter is not the norm. Many people have tried it starting at 3mg with no help. Looking for relief, I would start with 10mg. 

Especially if he does not have to be at work in the am.

Hello Spiny

 

I'll follow the melatonin dosage as you recommended here.  I hope this will give my father some relief until the headache goes into remission again, and hopefully will never come back.  I'm sure trader joes will have tons of these so i'll just get it from there.  On a side note I have heard that some people will drink tons of water throughout the day and that will somewhat stop the hits or at least reduce them.  Have you heard such things yourself?  I don't think that would be a route I would want my father to take as he would need to be near a bathroom most of the day :D.  Just curious if you or anyone else has heard anything about that?  Thanks again Spiny for the info.  I'll try to convince my father to take the melatonin and will update what the results are.  In the meantime take care :) .

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Hi defiance

This from our sister site clusterheadaches.com:

The following information was written by Margi, the wife of a cluster headache sufferer. It has grown to be know simply as the "water treatment". We've had so many requests for it that it has become it's own page so you don't have to search through all of the posts in the archives to find it.

It won't work for everyone and may not work for you, but it may be worth a try. After all, it's FREE!

Remember, consult your health care provider before starting ANY "treatment".

The water treatment is very simple, yet tough to accomplish. It's a glass of water every half hour or at least every hour during the day. It's hard to drink that much water, but the more, the better. If the Beast wakes you in the middle of the night, drink another couple of glasses.

Mike (my husband) noticed a dramatic reduction of pain within two days of starting the "water treatment" and his cycle ended within a week. He is still in remission 9 months later. If he feels like a cycle is trying to start again, he just pounds the water and the symptoms seem to go away.

The secret to success is drinking enough water and sticking with it for a few days. You will become intimately familiar with the bathroom but who cares, right?

This "treatment" doesn't work for everyone, but it has had amazing results for some. Also a good idea to take a multivitamin during this "treatment" - we wouldn't want you to wash out any of the 'good stuff'.

Sincerely,

Margi

Water, water, water!

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